He's a Good Daddy.

He promised his little boy that they could fish together after church today.

And, of course, his little boy remembered. . .

And, his Daddy agreed to take him. . .

Happily, I might add. . .

Even though it is raining cats and dogs outside. . .

And, even though the Memphis/Texas game had just begun. . .

He's a good Daddy, your Daddy, my sweet Joshua, never doubt that!

This post comes with a WARNING label.

Warning: This post should not be read by anyone who is pregnant or has a weak stomach.



It has been a day, one of those days. You know the ones where you run around all day putting out one fire after another and never really getting caught up on anything. Crazy. I began my day by getting up at 5:30 to have a little alone time to pray and read. Well, that lasted about 5 minutes, and then JCT woke up and there was no putting him back to sleep. Elijah didn't nap well in the morning or in the afternoon. And, JCT fell asleep in the pick-up line at Joshua's school, thus ruining his afternoon nap. Both the little boys were extremely irritable and tired all day. It had already been a long day by mid-afternoon, but it was about to get a little longer or at the very least, it was about to get a little more interesting. . .



I put Elijah down for his afternoon cat-nap, settled the big boys down with dry erase markers and placemats to write on, and leashed my furry Weimeraner friend for his afternoon outing - you know, to do his job. As I was finishing up Rain's little walk, Joshua opened the back door and began yelling at the top of his lungs in an earpiecing, terrorizing, screaming voice, "MOMMMMMMY!!!! MOMMMMMMY!!!"



My heart-rate was surely around 200, and my mind was racing with irrational scenerios. "What is it, baby???" I asked as I got closer to the door.



There was no blood. No lives were being threated. Thank You, Jesus.



"JCT went poo poo on the floor!!!! Grosssssss! And, it stinks, Mommy."



I walked into the house and found JCT standing frozen in front of the potty, pants down around his ankles. Diarrhea was running down both his legs, piled in his pants, spilling over onto his shoes and the floor. It must have come like an explosion because there were splatters all over both steps of our step stool which was sitting right behind him. He looked at me with big eyes filled with alligator tears and said, "Mommy, I was tee teeing, and I didn't know I had to go poo poo, and then it just came and I couldn't turn around fast enough. I'm sorry, Mommy."



I assured him that it was okay, just an accident. Then, I took Rain off the leash, and thought deeply about what to do first, second, and third. JCT stood frozen, not moving a muscle. As I bent over him cleaning his legs with wet wipes, my exact thought was, "Motherhood is over-rated!" But, I don't really mean that - I was just in the moment. Then, I picked my darling JCT up, undressed him, and carried his naked body over to the kitchen sink where I scrubbed his legs and bottom with antibacterial hand soap. Next, I dried him off, clothed him, and sent him off to play with Joshua while I attempted to clean up the mess.



I took a deep breath, inhale . . . exhale . . ., and walked back into the bathroom.



But, something mysterious had happened. There was no diarrhea.



Anywhere.



There were no splatters on the step stool. There was nothing on the floor. His clothes were laying on the floor with only smears where the massive amounts of poo poo had been. For a moment, I stared in confusion. Surely not Joshua, he won't go anywhere near anything "dirty." And, I am almost certain I don't believe in fairy God-mothers and the sort. Who could have done it?

Then, I heard it. . .



A large animal was walking behind me. . .



LICKING HIS LIPS!



And, suddenly I was transported back in time. . .



It was 2005, and Joshua had poo pooed for the very first time in his little kiddie potty. We did the happy dance, and then we decided that since Daddy would be home soon, we would keep the poo poo to show him - at Joshua's request, I assure you. So, we kept the little potty in the powder bath with Joshua's prize deposit safe and snug inside. I was busy taking care of baby JCT when Joshua came running to me crying, "Rain ate my poo poo, Mommy. Rain just ate my poo poo!!" I assessed the situation, and by golly, yes, Rain had in fact eaten it.

Back to 2008. . .

In an instant I knew that once again my dog had partaken of my children's excrements.

But, hey, it made the clean up soooo much easier!!!!! Poor dog, I baby-gated him in the sunroom for the rest of the day for fear he might (cringe) kiss someone!!!!

It's March Madness, BABY!!!!!!!!!!

I will never forget the first March after Erik and I married. Oh. my. What a wake up call! I grew up in a family of die-hard Bobby Knight Hoosier fans, and we kept up with college basketball, but Erik took it to a new level. Now we celebrate March Madness like we celebrate the 4th of July and Thanksgiving - except the best part is that it lasts longer than a day! Oh, the joy!

For the first time that I can remember, my Dad's alma mater, Indiana University, is playing my brother's alma mater, the Arkansas Razorbacks. What a game that will be! My parents cheer for the Razorbacks when they are playing other SEC teams, but we all know where their true loyalty lies.

And, my sister and her husband graduated from the University of Memphis. But, let's be realistic the odds of either IU or U of A surviving to play Memphis are. . . well. . . slim to. . . let's be honest, NONE.

Can anyone say Tennessee and North Carolina?

Let's just say if either of them end up playing Memphis, they will be escorted to San Antonio by their fairy Godmother in a bus with an uncanny resemblance to a pumpkin.

I love this month! Let the madness begin!!!!!!!!!!!!!

JCT-Rex

Mommy: "Do you want to take your dinosaur costume off, JCT?"

JCT: "No, Mommy. I LOVE being a dinosaur!"

Thanks, Pop and Grandma!!! Thanks for coming to see us! We LOVE you!!

T-R-O-U-B-L-E

I used to think that the "T" in JCT stood for Truett. That at least was our intention when we gave him his long and meaning-filled name, but now I am rethinking this. Now I think the "T" may actually stand for trouble, no, make that TROUBLE.

So, it was Wednesday, and let me give you a little rundown of the day. We got up and out of the house, dressed, ready, and teeth brushed by 8:20. We drove to the Honda dealership to get maintenance work done on our beloved Vannie. I was dreading this because here I am with three boys and pregnant. And to make it even better, Joshua's eye was black due to an incident with JCT and a sippy cup. I told Erik that I was going to wear something to hide my growing belly because I didn't want the guys at Honda to think I was completely in over my head. Erik just said, "Yeah, because it really matters what the maintenance men at Honda think." I know he is right, but still. . .

It actually went unusually well, me and my three little men hanging out in the Honda waiting room. Then, we headed to Super-Wal-Mart, and if you know me, you know the mood that trip can put me in. But, I must admit, I remained calm and handled myself quite well. Then, we went to the mall for a lunch/playdate with Deana B. and Afton. This went well, too, especially considering Elijah was forced to sacrifice his morning nap. After this it was time to go home for naps with the promise of playing outdoors later that day.

Later that day came. We played on the swingset. We took a walk to see the horses. I set up two basketball goals, and I did a multitude of other motherly things requiring strength and stamina. And, by 5 o clock I was tired, worn out, beat. And, so when my darling JCT dumped an entire package of peach puff stars on the tray of Elijah's stroller when he KNEW GOOD AND WELL THAT THIS IS A MAJOR NO NO, I felt myself getting overwhelmed and just plain over it! The reason this is a major no no is not only because it is simply, common-sense, not a good idea, but mainly because Elijah will put as many stars as he can in his mouth at one time. If there are 2 on his tray, they both go in his mouth. If there are 6 on his tray, as fast as he can shovel them in, all 6 go in his mouth. So, I walked over to the stroller and pryed Elijah's handfuls of stars open and hurridely picked up the stars before he stuffed too many in his mouth and began choking. All the while, JCT is laughing. . . hysterically. I am NOT. So, I say, "JCT, you know better. How many stars are you allowed to put on Elijah's tray at one time?" JCT answered smiling, "2." Through gritted teeth I responded, "You knew not to dump the entire package on his tray. Now go inside and sit in time out. I'll be inside in a minute to talk to you."

He went inside, and I began gathering our things, etc. getting ready to head indoors for the evening. Joshua was a bit ahead of me and ran to the door. And, guess what he yelled back to me. . .

"Mommy, JCT locked the door! We can't get inside!"

So, here I am, Elijah on my hip, standing in shock thinking, "Are you serious? This is just like him! Little rascal!" And, to make matters even more interesting, Erik hired two young boys from our church to do yard work this week, so they are enjoying the entire scene. They tried really hard not to laugh, but I know they wanted to, very badly.

I walked over to the door to check and see that it was indeed locked. It was. And, through the window, I could see my very obedient JCT sitting in time-out. . . smiling, SMILING! I motioned for him to come to the door. He came with his silly smile getting bigger!! I asked him to unbolt the door. He tried, but just couldn't seem to do it. Then, Joshua tried to help him, and the young boys in between laughter, tried to talk him through it. Somehow he just wasn't strong enough to unlock it, but he sure could lock it. Funny, isn't it?

After 20 or so minutes, I told the young boys to go on home that Erik would be home soon, etc. Really, I just wanted them to leave. After they left I really tried hard to get JCT to open the lock. Several times he disappeard, and I couldn't see where in the house he was. Erik still had patients to see, so I was stuck. . . outside with my baby and my five year old while my three year old had the whole house to himself.

After 45 minutes or so, JCT layed down on the bench by the backdoor. He started to look bored and lonely. His silly smile had disappeared. I thought he might cry, so I asked him again to please try the bolt.

Amazingly, he opened the door, first try, without hesitation. Interesting, huh? When it was fun and he had an audience, he couldn't seem to unlock the bolt. But, when the audience left and he was bored, suddenly he could open the lock easily. Go figure?

What is even funnier is that I, too, was laughing. . . on the inside. I couldn't let JCT know that I thought it was funny. I had to make an even out of it, so that he would NEVER do it again. So, needless to say, I did discipline him. But, the whole situation made me smile because I love him. I love who he is, this little man with spunk and a mischeviously cute grin. He is a funny little man, and I am thankful to have him as my own. Life would be a lot less interesting without him!

Having Snow Much Fun. . . in March!!

It only happens like once a year, so when it does we rejoice! And, this year it completely surprised us and came in March. I had seriously given up hope that the boys would get to play in snow this year, but God is good, and it finally came! It was the answer to a mama's silly prayer - a snow day! It began snowing Friday afternoon, and needless to say, the boys were delighted!



After running around and catching a few snowflakes on our tongues, we went inside and put the "snow" on our calendar! We have had this calendar for a year, and this is the first time we have been able to use the little snowflake!!



We woke up this morning to a winter wonderland of sorts. I can't tell you how much I enjoyed sipping coffee and looking out my kitchen window at this. . .

and this. . .


I seriously think heaven will have a snow section! The snow was so beautiful and so fun! It sparkled in the sunlight like there was glitter tossed on top of it! Beautiful.




This is my Joshua making a snow-angel.


And, this is JCT "makin' footpwints!"

This is my JCT laying in the snow about to make one of his sweet angels!



The boys enjoyed making snow-angels, and they enjoyed licking icicles. They enjoyed shoveling the snow with their sand toys, and they enjoyed playing with their trains in the snow. They enjoyed making tracks through the fresh untouched snow, and they enjoyed making a snowman. But, do you know what they found to be the best fun of all?

Snowball Fighting!!!

The picture above is Joshua about to launch part of our snowman's body! You can see that the snowball fight (Joshua and JCT against Daddy) was the most important part of the Day!

One of his older brother's, included Elijah in the snowball war! Bless his heart, he didn't like it one bit!

All in all it was great fun. . .

even if it only lasted for one day.

And, now we are on to more important things, like spring.

It is supposed to be 55 tomorrow!!!

Diaper Bag Help!

I am in need of a large and well organized diaper bag! I have searched the internet high and low for the "perfect" bag!! Does anyone in blogworld, with several children, have a large diaper bag that they just love. I am looking for one with lots of interior pockets and a few exterior pockets as well!!! Any advice will be very appreciated!! Thanks!

In His Grip. . . (Nana's notes on Joshua Ch. 1)

After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses' aide; "Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them -- the Israelites. I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. . . No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you.

I will never leave you nor forsake you.

Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you?

Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."

Joshua 1:1-9

Now for Nana's notes (I have written the verses in NIV, but Nana uses the NAS). . .

First in v5 God says to him that "no man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you."
"fail" in Hebrew is "slacken" and "forsake" is "loosen or reliquish" It gives the sense of Him having Joshua in His grip and that He would never slacken or loosen/reliquish His grip on Joshua. By the way that is also in the New Testament for us Heb 13:5.

Then v.6 He tells Joshua to, "Be strong and Courageous, for you shall give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. " The word "strong" is "to fasten upon or to be attached to" and "courageous" is "to be bold and alert and strong".

The whole picture is one of God holding us in His grip like the picture I sent to you on the front of Kinsman Redeemer study. He grips us like one of them is gripping the others arm... and in response he calls us to fasten ourselves to Him, to be strong (in His strength and since He is with us and will not let go)... so we hold onto Him like the other man is holding on also.

Ah, if we could grasp that truth! He won't let us go... means for US to go in and take the land He has given to us in our own lives.. that means we trust and have no fear... and in His power take the territory that is ours in Christ Jesus... love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, self control, etc. Ah... to live in that!

love you much...
your mommy (a.k.a. Nana)

Joshua, my Joshua, my little leader, my oldest son, my first-born, my beautiful, tender little warrior, my brave knight, my precious one,

These verses are part of the reason that your Daddy and I gave you your name. We knew that you would be the leader of our children, our first-born. The Old Testament man, Joshua, was a wonderful warrior/leader, a very worthy namesake.

You are a unique and precious boy - tender and tough all in the same little boy body, and I love you for it. I love you just the way God made you, my little man. Always remember that you are in His grip. In essence what God says in these verses is. . .

I have you in my grip, and I will not let you go. I will not leave you. I will be with you, holding tightly, firmly to you. Now, you must fasten yourself to Me and be alert, be bold.

Just as God had huge plans to use Joshua to conquer lands in His name, He has huge plans to use you, my little warrior, to conquer lands of your own. Walking with God makes everyday life an extraordinary adventure! Keep your eyes fixed on Him, do not look to the right or to the left, just straight into His sweet face. Meditate on His word, live according to it. Breath by breath walk with Him, hand in hand let nothing come between you and Him, and you will never cease to grow and prosper as long as live. Jesus bless your little life. I love you, my sweet little lover of God.

Your Mommy